Despite falling flat against a New England team that might bring them their first challenge in the AFC East in what feels like forever, the Buffalo Bills are still the odds-on Super Bowl favorites, and the best team in the entire conference by most experts. This is largely due to Josh Allen continuing to Josh Allen all over the place, and the ascendance of James Cook to running back nirvana.
However, a team is more than just its two superstars, and the Bills are no different. These are the (relatively) unsung heroes that are anchoring the Super Bowl heavyweights.
1. Dalton Kincaid, TE
We found Josh Allen's favorite receiving link, and it's neither Keon Coleman nor Khalil Shakir. It's Dalton Kincaid. He was narrowly out-targeted in Week 5 by both receivers (7 and 9 targets for Coleman and Shakir, respectively), but was by far the most efficient of the three, hauling in all 6 of his for an insane 108 yards. Those are legitimate wide receiver stats, and they aren't an aberration.
Through five weeks, Kincaid is second among all tight ends for receiving yards (287) and touchdowns (3), while receiving the third-most targets on the Bills (24) behind the aforementioned receivers. What makes Kincaid stand out is his relative volume, especially for a team that runs the ball so much -- James Cook is third among all running backs in rush attempts with 90 -- and how efficient he is. The Bills should be running their offense through Kincaid much more, especially if Josh Allen has found his Travis Kelce.
2. Joey Bosa, DE
There is a myth that teams can score on the Buffalo Bills' defense this season. And maybe they're right -- according to Next Gen Stats, Buffalo is allowing the fifth-most time to pass in the league, while also surrendering the fifth-most rush yards per game (145.6). However, those concerns seem largely overblown, as when removing the aberration that was Week 1 against Baltimore, Buffalo's allowed rush yardage plummets by 40 yards, and its points allowed per game jumps to around 18 per game.
And you know who's at the star of their pass rush, which currently allows the second-least yards in the air per game? Joey Bosa. At 30 years old and in his first season out of Charger blue, Bosa has taken on Von Miller's mantle as the resident 'Buffalo edge rusher who has turned back the clock', having put up 21 pressures on the year thus far, to go with a league-leading 4 forced fumbles and 16 quarterback hurries. Keep in mind as well that while a bulk of these numbers came against Jets rookie Armand Membou.
Membou also completely shut out TJ Watt. Joey Bosa still has it.
3. Dion Dawkins, LT
Here's a stat for you: Josh Allen has been only hurried six times through five weeks, 24th among all starting quarterbacks. That is five less than Brock Purdy, who has only been active for two games this season thus far. He's also only been knocked down ten times (19th among starting QBs) and sacked eight times (20th). And despite the lack of star power among his wide receivers, Allen is top 12 in both completions and percentage, total yards, air yards, and every single deep-ball measuring stick.
That is due to a stellar offensive line anchored by left tackle Dion Dawkins, who thus far has more than lived up to his No. 42 ranking on the 2025 NFL Top 100. Dawkins boasts the sixth-best pass-blocking PFF grade in the league (86.5) and through five weeks has not allowed a single hit on his quarterback at the hardest position on the line. If the Bills are looking for a third star on offense, Dalton Kincaid might be the darling, but Dawkins is the true outlier here.
4. Matt Prater, K
Honestly, with how varied the kicker experience can be in the NFL, who knows how long the 41-year-old(!) Matt Prater can keep up this incredible accuracy streak, especially after tearing his meniscus in 2024. But boy, has Prater made an impression in Tyler Bass' absence (IR), having signed to the practice squad just three days before the NFL season started.
And yet, Prater has made 100 percent of his 15 extra point attempts (only perfect mark in as many attempts), and made 90.9 percent of his 11 field goal attempts. At this point, Prater has made a case for the starting job in full on the league's third-highest scoring offense, and outside of Allen and Cook is the most reliable source of scoring the Bills probably have.